At the end of the course, you'll be eligible to apply for part 1 (Adult) of the professional Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. This allows you to work as a nurse in the UK.

NHS bursary – at least £5,000 a year

When you study this course from September 2020, you may be eligible for an NHS bursary of £5,000–£8,000 a year.

Accredited by:

This course has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), meaning the course meets the standards of education, training, conduct and performance required for nurses in the UK.

For pre-registration nursing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018, Part 1: Standards Framework for nursing and midwifery education, 5.12, page 12) state that there is no compensation between theory and practice learning.

This course will prepare graduates to be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It's your responsibility to seek registration with the NMC, on completion of your course. This registration must be sought within 5 years of successful completion of your course.

This course is also accredited by the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare. The University of Portsmouth is the first institution in the country to receive this accreditation.

This course is also endorsed by Skills for Care, which is an indicator of quality for learning and development in the adult social care sector.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Values and the NHS Constitution

We embed the principles and values of the NHS Constitution in all our health and social care courses. When you apply for this course, we’ll expect you to demonstrate how your values align with the values of the Constitution.

Learn to confidently examine, assess, and treat patients in community and hospital settings

The health needs of the population are changing at an unprecedented rate. Our new programme has been co-designed with local trusts, so that our graduates will be confident and empowered to make a valuable contribution to the workforce of the future

Dr Isobel Ryder, Programme Lead for Nursing

Careers and opportunities

When you finish the course, you'll be eligible to apply for registration on part 1 (Adult) of the professional Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register, which allows you to work as a Registered Nurse in the UK. If you want to work as a nurse abroad, you may also need to register with an overseas nursing body.

What can you do with an adult nursing degree?

Graduates could go on to work in:

Nursing roles in primary or secondary care in the UK and overseas

Charity and aid work

Advanced practice nurse specialism

Nurse education and mentoring

Healthcare management in ward sister or lead nurse roles

What jobs can you do with an adult nursing degree?

Job roles graduates could go on to include:

Community nurse

Critical care nurse

Palliative care nurse specialist

Practice nursing

Care home manager

Resuscitation training officer

After you graduate, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

Adult Nursing at Portsmouth is amazing! The skills we're taught are easily transferred to clinical practice, making placements much easier to complete. The simulation centre simulates different health conditions, allowing us to assess patient manakins safely and explore clinical emergencies in a way that can't be done in the real world.

Darren Newman, BN (Hons) Nursing (Adult)

Work experience and career planning

You'll spend a large amount of your time during this course on clinical placements with partner Trusts in local community and hospital environments.

Our Careers and Employability service can also help you find further relevant work experience during your course to boost your career prospects further. We help you identify placements, internships, and voluntary roles that will complement your studies.

What you'll do

You'll produce a portfolio that includes a Practice Assessment Document and other evidence, including assessor and service user feedback, attainment of proficiencies and a written account of care you have provided. Before your placement you need to complete the requirements for the 'Passport to Practice'.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Meet the requirements of the 'Passport to Practice' as a pre-condition for attending placement

Actively participate in personalised care in clinical placements, meeting the required hours for part one

Demonstrate the attitudes and values expected at threshold level, at the end of part one

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to confirm proficiency, as expected at the end of part one

Reflect on a described episode of care, including assessment, delivery and evaluation of care

Articulate your learning and development needs for progression in an action plan

Teaching activities

On this module you'll take part in placements and attend lectures, practical classes and workshops.

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 353 hours studying independently. This is around 10.5 hours a week over the duration of the module.

What you'll do

You'll develop an academic awareness and an understanding of different perspectives on subjects, topics and ideas. You'll develop and apply your skills to get an overview of public health, health inequalities, and health and social care provision.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Identify your learning needs and develop a personal development plan for your academic skills development

Outline the concept of evidence based practice and the different forms that evidence can take

Identify, retrieve and summarise evidence relevant to a specific aspect of practice, using appropriate resources

Identify the roles and responsibilities of those involved in delivering health and social care in the UK and the systems they work in

Describe the health of the UK population and offer explanations for health inequalities

Part-time core modules

What you'll do

You'll develop an academic awareness and an understanding of different perspectives on subjects, topics and ideas. You'll develop and apply your skills to get an overview of public health, health inequalities, and health and social care provision.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Identify your learning needs and develop a personal development plan for your academic skills development

Outline the concept of evidence based practice and the different forms that evidence can take

Identify, retrieve and summarise evidence relevant to a specific aspect of practice, using appropriate resources

Identify the roles and responsibilities of those involved in delivering health and social care in the UK and the systems they work in

Describe the health of the UK population and offer explanations for health inequalities

What you'll do

You’ll develop a critical knowledge and awareness of evidence in the context of your respective discipline.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published evidence that might inform practice

Understand the stages involved in the design and planning of a project in health or social care, including consideration of ethical concerns, selecting and justifying an appropriate approach and process

Discuss the context, barriers and enablers for evidence informed decision-making

What you'll do

You'll look at complex care management, including the care of service users with more than one long-term condition, those who receive integrated care services, and those undergoing end of life and palliative care. You'll learn about the Care Act (2014) and its implications for nursing, including the Duty of Candour; and ‘Making Every Contact Count’ which explores the wider social determinants that influence health.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Discuss the underlying causes, pathophysiology and management of common long term conditions

Evaluate the nurse's role in promoting and facilitating self care and empowerment

Examine the impact that ‘Making Every Contact Counts’ and making healthy choices can have on people with long term conditions

Part-time core modules

What you'll do

You’ll develop a critical knowledge and awareness of evidence in the context of your respective discipline.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published evidence that might inform practice

Understand the stages involved in the design and planning of a project in health or social care, including consideration of ethical concerns, selecting and justifying an appropriate approach and process

Discuss the context, barriers and enablers for evidence informed decision-making

What you'll do

You'll produce a portfolio that includes a Practice Assessment Document and other evidence, including assessor and service user feedback, attainment of proficiencies and a written account of care you have provided. Before your placement you need to complete the requirements for the 'Passport to Practice'.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Meet the requirements of the 'Passport to Practice' as a pre-condition for attending placement

Actively participate in personalised care in clinical placements, meeting the required hours for part one

Demonstrate the attitudes and values expected at threshold level, at the end of part one

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to confirm proficiency, as expected at the end of part one

Reflect on a described episode of care, including assessment, delivery and evaluation of care

Articulate your learning and development needs for progression in an action plan

Teaching activities

On this module you'll take part in placements and attend lectures, practical classes and workshops.

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 353 hours studying independently. This is around 10.5 hours a week over the duration of the module.

What you'll do

You'll look at complex care management, including the care of service users with more than one long-term condition, those who receive integrated care services, and those undergoing end of life and palliative care. You'll learn about the Care Act (2014) and its implications for nursing, including the Duty of Candour; and ‘Making Every Contact Count’ which explores the wider social determinants that influence health.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Discuss the underlying causes, pathophysiology and management of common long term conditions

Evaluate the nurse's role in promoting and facilitating self care and empowerment

Examine the impact that ‘Making Every Contact Counts’ and making healthy choices can have on people with long term conditions

Full-time core modules

What you'll do

You'll look at a variety of contemporary settings such as safeguarding, dementia care, end-of-life care, public health, global health, child and adolescent mental health, and learning disabilities. You'll identify a specific topic and (potential) placement of up to two weeks.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Critically evaluate evidence for a focused aspect of nursing practice

Critically reflect on the impact of a variety of influences that inform nursing practice

Consider the central role of different public health approaches in addressing a key issue of health, illness and environment within the local community, nationally or globally

Teaching activities

On this module you'll take part in work-based learning, and attend lectures and seminars.

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 172 hours studying independently. This is around 10.5 hours a week over the duration of the module.

What you'll do

You’ll explore and evaluate areas of best practice and develop and consolidate your skills and knowledge of appraising, evaluating and applying evidence-based practice to a particular patient/client group or workplace. You’ll systematically organise and make analytical and objective judgements on reviewed evidence in your field of practice.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Apply the principles of effective project design, management and dissemination, with emphasis on the development of a problem arising from practice and appropriate methodology to answer it

Systematically produce an academically rigorous document in an acceptable format

Produce a scientific poster presentation of your project to a professional standard

Critically evaluate the evidence of current practice by discussing on data in relation to current literature and practice

What you'll do

You'll develop clinical competence and confidence prior to registration, including in administration of medicine and caseload management.
This module contributes to meeting NMC Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses (2018).

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Maintain the requirements for the 'Passport to Practice' as a pre-condition for attending placement

Demonstrate the attitudes and values expected of a registered nurse at threshold level, at the end of year 3

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills, including medicine management, required to confirm proficiency as a registered nurse, as expected at the end of year 3

Reflect on two described episodes of person-centred care, including planning, supervision of juniors and shared decision-making.

Articulate your own learning and development needs for future development, including revalidation

Teaching activities

10 hours of practical classes and workshops

4 hours of tutorials

680 hours of placement

6 hours of seminars

14 hours of lectures

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 566 hours studying independently. This is around 17 hours a week over the duration of the module.

Part-time core modules

What you'll do

You'll look at a variety of contemporary settings such as safeguarding, dementia care, end-of-life care, public health, global health, child and adolescent mental health, and learning disabilities. You'll identify a specific topic and (potential) placement of up to two weeks.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Critically evaluate evidence for a focused aspect of nursing practice

Critically reflect on the impact of a variety of influences that inform nursing practice

Consider the central role of different public health approaches in addressing a key issue of health, illness and environment within the local community, nationally or globally

Teaching activities

On this module you'll take part in work-based learning, and attend lectures and seminars.

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 172 hours studying independently. This is around 10.5 hours a week over the duration of the module.

What you'll do

You’ll explore and evaluate areas of best practice and develop and consolidate your skills and knowledge of appraising, evaluating and applying evidence-based practice to a particular patient/client group or workplace. You’ll systematically organise and make analytical and objective judgements on reviewed evidence in your field of practice.

What you'll learn

When you complete this module successfully, you'll be able to:

Apply the principles of effective project design, management and dissemination, with emphasis on the development of a problem arising from practice and appropriate methodology to answer it

Systematically produce an academically rigorous document in an acceptable format

Produce a scientific poster presentation of your project to a professional standard

Critically evaluate the evidence of current practice by discussing on data in relation to current literature and practice

Teaching activities

Independent study time

We recommend you spend at least 174 hours studying independently. This is around 10.5 hours a week over the duration of the module.

Assessment

On this module, you'll be assessed through:

a 3,500-word coursework project (80% of final mark)

a 500-word coursework project (20% of final mark)

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

How you're assessed

You’ll be assessed through:

Academic work including essays, reports, case studies and reflective accounts

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

lectures

simulation

seminars

independent study

work placement

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

At university, as well as spending time in timetabled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars and tutorials, you’ll do lots of independent study with support from our staff when you need it.

A typical week

You will be taking part in scheduled study blocks for up to 20 hours a week for both full time and part time versions of this course. You’ll also be in placement activities for roughly 37.5 hours a week (full time) and a minimum of 16 hours a week (part time). The rest of the time you’ll be involved in timetabled activities such as tutorials, lectures and workshops alongside independent study such as research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group with others from your course. You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching by your third year.

Term times

The academic year runs from September to early June with breaks at Christmas and Easter. It's divided into 2 teaching blocks and 2 assessment periods:

September to December – teaching block 1

January – assessment period 1

January to May – teaching block 2 (includes Easter break)

May to June – assessment period 2

Extra learning support

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get face-to-face support from teaching and support staff when you need it. These include the following people and services:

Personal tutor

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

As well as regular scheduled meetings with your personal tutor, they're also available at set times during the week if you want to chat with them about anything that can't wait until your next meeting.

Learning support tutors

You'll have help from a team of faculty learning support tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.

Academic skills support

As well as support from faculty staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

Academic writing

Note taking

Time management

Critical thinking

Presentation skills

Referencing

Working in groups

Revision, memory and exam techniques

If you have a disability or need extra support, the Additional Support and Disability Centre (ASDAC) will give you help, support and advice.

Library support

Library staff are available in person or by email, phone or online chat to help you make the most of the University’s library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from the faculty librarian for science.

The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.

The support from academic staff is brilliant. Online forums with staff and students mean that if you have a query, there's always someone around who knows the answer! I've thoroughly enjoyed my training and feel I'm a better nurse because of it.

Darren Newman, BN (Hons) Nursing (Adult)

​Course costs

Tuition fees (September 2020 start)

Full time

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 per year (may be subject to annual increase)

Part time

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £4,110 per year in years 1, 2, 3 and 4 then £2,060 in year 5 (may be subject to annual increase)

Your uniform is included as part of your course fee, but you’ll need to pay £20–£50 for extra or replacement uniforms. You won’t need to pay for a replacement due to fair wear and tear. You’ll also need to supply your own suitable footwear for placements.

You may have an opportunity to undertake a placement. There are several options for this placement, and you may choose to go abroad. If you want to go abroad or travel within the UK, you need to budget between £1000–£5000. You'll need to cover all your expenses for this placement.

Common questions about this subject

Can't find the answer to your questions about this course or anything else about undergraduate life? Contact us.

The healthcare system in the UK is changing and modernising, and people's healthcare needs are changing as the population gets older. Many nurses are also reaching retirement age. New nurses are needed to support these changes.

This means the future demand for adult nursing graduates in the UK is likely to be high.

Nursing is a satisfying field to work in because you'll be supporting and having a positive impact on the lives of many people.

You'll have the opportunity to get involved in education and research, and help shape health policy. And, because nurses don't just work in hospitals, you'll have lots of options for progressing your career.

You'll have the opportunity to get work experience during your degree, but it's helpful to get some work experience before you start the course.

Speaking to someone who works in health and social care is also useful for an insight into the role of a nurse.

"I get a satisfaction for caring for people and seeing them comfortable and happy from primary care and not having to go to hospital. When you see a patient in hospital you don’t get a full understanding of how they care for themselves or if they have carers come in, so it’s lovely to see them in their own home environment."

Not quite ready to apply?

How to apply from outside the UK

If you're from outside of the UK but within the European Union, you can apply for this course through UCAS (see the 'Apply' section above for details) or through an agent. Check your country page for details of agents in your region.

This course isn't currently open to international students outside the EU.

To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.

For pre-registration nursing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (2018, Part 3: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes, page 8), indicate that recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of Proficiency for registered nurses and programme outcomes, is permitted, up to a maximum of 50% of the programme.